Retail industry

Natoinalist pulse beats stronger in Welsh hearts

Article Abstract:

The parliamentary body the Welsh Grand Committee meets to discuss devolution in Feb 1992. The move towards Welsh autonomy is growing. The Welsh nationalist group Plaid Cymru has failed to gain the support of the working classes and and non-Welsh speaking residents. The main focus of the party has been the Welsh language and the idea of community rather than a nation as a whole. Only 19% of the population speak Welsh. Opponents criticise the agression freely used, especially by the the Welsh Language Society. This aggression prevents foreign investment and tourism.

Former Welsh Secretary Ron Davies believes that he had no choice but to resign and to withdraw as prospective leader of the Welsh Assembly following revelations that he agreed to go for a drink with strangers he met on Clapham Common in London, England, and was subsequently robbed by these people. He feels that not to have resigned would have been very damaging to Welsh devolution. He emphasizes that he believed that the invitation to go for a drink was perfectly innocent and that he was not involved in any form of illegal behaviour.

Clean slate for a Welsh steam train

Article Abstract:

The town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales, used to be a very important international centre for slate production. However, it now only has two working mines left. Its population has fallen to 5,000, and there are signs of industrial decay. However, it also has a strange sort of beauty, and there are some indications of economic revival. It is possible for visitors to go on a tour of a slate mine, and they can also travel on the steam-drawn Ffestiniog Railway.